Victory in the bag: Cherry

By JOE WARMINGTON, QMI Agency

And with national pride at stake — and some serious ice bragging rights on the line — the country’s biggest puckhead has made his prediction.

“I am calling it 5-3 for Team Canada,” declares Don Cherry.

It won’t be long now until we find out.

At 3:15 p.m. Sunday, the country will gather together to watch the gold medal match between Canada and the United States for hockey supremacy.

“It just shows you the interest in hockey, the greatest game in the world,” Cherry said.

And today, he said, Canada will prove once again we are the best at it?

“I am pretty sure we will but it won’t be easy,” said Cherry. “Ryan Miller has been excellent in the American’s goal and has only allowed five goals in five games. They are going to have to earn it.”

The coverage on CTV has been stellar throughout but a lot of hockey fans miss hearing The Coach’s take on each development. He will be back on CBC’s Coach’s Corner next week but American fans will get a taste of Grapes on NBC today.

“I am glad to do it,” said Cherry. “As I told NBC, for Canada to win, Roberto Luongo has to be good for the Americans to win Ryan Miller has to be great. He will have to be sensational because he is going to see more rubber than a dead skunk along the New York thruway.”

If Canada wins this game, the country's athletes will set records the most gold medals for a winter Olympics host country.

But Cherry says it all comes down to the hockey gold.

“It’s been a great Olympics and all of our athletes have done so well but we have to win this game for it to be noticed down in the United States,” said Cherry.